This spring, Wild Earth Allies welcomed long-time colleagues Augustin K. Basabose, Ph.D. and Michael Baraka of Primate Expertise, and Eugène Rutagarama and Joelle Rutagarama of our Rwanda team to the U.S.
Our collaborative efforts reflect decades of gorilla conservation work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. Wild Earth Allies Executive Director Katie Frohardt directed mountain gorilla conservation programming in Rwanda from 1995 to 1997. Together with our partners in the region, she continues to advance community-based primate conservation as a key organizational priority.
Celebrating Local Action with Global Impact
On April 24th, Wild Earth Allies Board members, Ambassadors, supporters, and colleagues gathered in Washington, D.C. for a reception and panel discussion called, “Local Action, Global Impact: Celebrating Community-Based Conservation.” Board member Mohamed I. Bakarr, Ph.D. moderated a conversation with our distinguished panelists.
Watch the video to experience event highlights.
Celebrating Community-Based Conservation (Video by DoGoodery)
From left: Eugène Rutagarama, Wild Earth Allies Conservation Advisor, Arthur Asiimwe, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda, and Michael Baraka, Science Coordinator at Primate Expertise, talk with Beth Ruoff, Board Member at Wild Earth Allies. (Photo by Kevin Allen)
From left: Augustin K. Basabose, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of Primate Expertise, greets Franklin Moore, Board Member at the Jane Goodall Institute. (Photo by Kevin Allen)
From left: Virginia Busch, Wild Earth Allies Board Vice Chair, Katie Frohardt, Wild Earth Allies Executive Director, and Clea Newman Soderlund, Wild Earth Allies Board Chair celebrate decades of conservation leadership together. (Photo by Kevin Allen)
Attendees enjoy the panel discussion. (Photo by Kevin Allen)
Sharing Learning Across Generations
During their visit, our colleagues shared moments and insights on film from their remarkable conservation journeys. Members of the Wild Earth Allies team also reflected on their shared histories in locally led conservation. We will release highlights from these conversations through a new video series coming soon — stay tuned!
From left: Eugène Rutagarama, Wild Earth Allies Conservation Advisor, and Joelle Rutagarama, Wild Earth Allies Rwanda Program Manager, reflect on their conservation journeys.
Augustin K. Basabose, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of Primate Expertise, shares how he has applied lessons learned from mountain gorilla conservation to his current work protecting Grauer’s gorillas.
From left: José Urteaga, Ph.D., Wild Earth Allies Director of Marine Partnerships, and Adam Henson, Wild Earth Allies Conservation Director, reflect on our commitment to locally led conservation.
